California? Sensible-ish purchase?!

[elise2000]

Hi all

Considering getting a California.

Up to around £60k ish, so bottom end of market.

My thinking is prices won’t go much lower on them, so a good time to buy?

Anything I should be looking out for? Avoiding?

Obviously want low-ish mileage, full service history, and from a dealer.

Thanks in advance

[elise2000]

ollyh1988 said:

Hi - I bought one last year as had always wanted a Ferrari and wanted the back seats as I wanted to use the car for family trips (and I think 8/10 drives I’ve done have been as the 3 of us).

I bought from a main dealer for peace of mind and the warranty. I’m sure there are good cars out there but one I went to see had 11k spent on it in the previous 6 months (gearbox, uprights)

Main issue it seems on these is with the DCT gearbox speed sensor. It used to mean a new gearbox but plenty of specialists out there now repair. Also the roof can be costly if it goes out of alignment. Like many issues mentioned online the scare stories probably make it sound worse than it really is.

I’ve just booked mine in for the major service at a Ferrari dealer (£1800!) but it is to keep the warranty and the full Ferrari history.

Love driving mine. I’ve driven a few Ferraris and this def feels like a real Ferrari to me (I know some might say it’s too soft etc) and makes a brilliant noise!

Nice options to have would be the upgraded seats (Daytona or diamond stitch) and I really like the carbon steering wheel with shift lights.

Thanks, that’s very helpful. I’ll be looking to buy from a specialist (due to budget!). I was reading up on the carbon earlier- sounds a good option

[elise2000]

murphyaj said:

I almost bought one of these three years ago before I settled on a 430, so I researched them pretty hard.

Firstly I wouldn't be so confident that they don't have much further to fall, the entry point was about 65k when I was looking, and it's under £55k now, and they do still seem to be coming down. Remember this was a totally new model line for Ferrari, so the residual value rules that apply to their mid-engined or V12 models won't necessarily apply. Plus they sold an awful lot of them so there is no shortage of supply. These are a direct rival to GT cars like a DB9 or Bentley Continental, and those have both bottomed out way below where the Cali currently sits.

Re your requirements, you say "Obviously want low-ish mileage", I really don't think you need to get hung up on that. I bang this drum a lot on here, and I'm going to bang it again. It's not 1970 any more, these cars do not fall apart when they hit 40,000 miles. There are plenty of modern Ferraris out there which are used as daily drivers, and cars which are used regularly don't tend to be any less reliable than those used more sparingly. A car that is used often but well maintained will often be a much better bet than a garage queen. Plus if you get one with slightly higher mileage any additional miles you put on will have a smaller effect on the residual price. And that's before we get into the fact that the miles shown on the dash is, shall we say, not always 100% reliable. The obsession with low miles is a horribly out of date concept that refuses to die, but it is even less relevant for the California than for their supercars. Buy on spec, history and condition, and maybe consider the miles with regards to your eventual resale.

All that said they are great cars. I was swapping out of a DB9 when I was looking and it did feel more special, but in the end the 430 gave the additional wow factor that I was after. As a genuinely usable Ferrari with a dash of practicality I think they are a great buy.

Thanks for the reply.

I may be wrong about them not having bottomed-out, although I am hopeful they won’t go much further/if they do go back up at some point! This would in theory be a longish term car, so a little more depreciation wouldn’t be a big deal.

Good point about the mileage. I’m sure there’s an ideal mileage-age ratio out there.

[elise2000]

Bo_apex said:

excellent daily, there are loads in Monaco and seem to behave in traffic.

Thanks.

It would be a weekend/occasional weekday car. Probably only a few thousand miles a year.

[elise2000]

Kyodo said:

murphyaj said:

...These are a direct rival to GT cars like a DB9 or Bentley Continental, and those have both bottomed out way below where the Cali currently sits..

I agree with everything other than perhaps this. I think tyipcally Aston & Bentley depreciate to a much lower point than Ferrari.

We swapped our 360 Modena for an early well-spec'd California three years ago and haven't looked back. I adored the mid-engined car but the Cali fits our usage much better. It's very quick, sounds great and it's pretty well behaved. I looked into the potential for gearbox issues but had my mind set at ease knowing they can be repaired if necessary (hopefully not!).

Minor gripes - the road tax is much higher than the earlier cars and it's a bit thirsty! First World problems I guess!

Go for it

Thanks- very helpful feedback

[elise2000]

cgt2 said:

The owner above is very lucky not to have had any expensive issues. I've heard from multiple people about roof, electrical and gearbox issues. Ask any Ferrari specialist. I was looking at a Cali T awhile back to replace an SL63 but even the car I looked at had a £16k invoice from Ferrari for a big gearbox repair so newer ones also have those problems.

On other Ferraris you can swallow big repair costs (ask me how I know over many years experience) as the cars have inherent rarity and value which generally all equals out.

Calis don't seem to have that benefit and when I look occasionally it is noticeable how many of the cars for sale have sat there for a very long time. It is a great car to drive but you do have to factor in depreciation and repair costs if that is important to you.

Thanks

Repair costs are important, although am resigned to the fact. Am considering warranty options of course.

Depreciation is more of an issue. Californias seem (to me at least and my occasional browsing on ph/autotrader) To have been available for mid 50s/low 60s for quite a while. So I’m relatively confident they haven’t much further to go. We shall see though! Understood that production numbers mean values are affected as not nearly as rare as other models.